Month: July 2008

  • Young Rascals – Collections

    Originally released over a five-year period, these seven albums show a band that knew what would work on the radio, and also how to stretch things a bit.

    As you’d expect, the early albums present a group feeling its way while establishing that it could make a hit with ease. The Young Rascals is pretty much all covers and rocks like crazy. “Good Lovin’” is the hit that gets them going. The same can be said for Collections, which sees them writing more, but still finding their way.

    By Groovin’, they’re writing most everything and hitting their stride. It opens with “A Girl Like You,” one of the finest singles of the ’60s. With that album, Felix Cavaliere had begun to establish himself as one of the most soulful blue-eyed soul singers on the planet, and the band (Gene Cornish on guitar, Dino Danelli on drums, and Eddie Brigati -with help from brother, David – on vocals) had by this time become a tight unit. It’s tough not to love an album with the aforementioned opener, the title cut, and “How Can I Be Sure.”

    After Groovin’ set the table, the Rascals would experiment more with each subsequent release, usually with exceptional results. Once Upon a Dream is an album full of soul/pop music that didn’t produce any hits, but had great cuts like “Singin’ the Blues Too Long” and “Intro: Easy Rollin’.” It also includes one of the most elegant songs to ever have been written for a state, “My Hawaii.” And it saw the introduction of Indian music, which would show up on many of their later records. Despite the experimentation, the Rascals would have more hits. Freedom Suite becomes more political and idealistic and contains long jams. It also contains the best song of their later career, “People Got to Be Free.”

    The last two Atlantic albums, See and Search and Nearness, are inconsistent, but contain wonderful music, usually when Cavaliere guides them on soulful rides. The funky “Right On” and pop/soul chestnut “I’d Like to Take You Home” are wonderful examples. And there are still hits, like “Carry Me Back” and “See” getting lots of airplay in the late ’60s.

    These have been reissued before, but included here are the mono mixes of the first four alongside the stereo mixes. And they all sound great! Add extensive and information-packed liner notes and you’ve got a batch of discs that no fan of the Rascals or ’60s music should be without.


    This article originally appeared in VG‘s Jan ’08 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

  • Graham Parker – Don’t Tell Columbus

    Graham Parker has stepped it up a notch in recent years. Always a fine songwriter and singer, he hit a lull in the late ’80s and most of the ’90s. This is his third killer record for Bloodshot.

    Parker’s writing, as almost always, moves easily here between storytelling and sarcasm. The storytelling is especially strong here, supplying two especially notable songs, “The Other Side of the Reservoir” and “Suspension Bridge.” “I Discovered America” tells a story of Parker’s travels in America. The sarcasm on cuts like “England’s Latest Clown,” at first might be about one of England’s young princes, but it’s really about a rock or pop star who Parker perhaps doesn’t like. “Stick to the Plan” is a not-so-subtle shot at the Bush Administration set to a rollicking, rocky R&B feel, complete with a Kazoo solo!

    Parker plays most of the guitars – acoustic and electric – all bass, lap steel, harmonica, and some percussion. And he supplies some fine playing; his solo on “Ambiguous” is punchy, and almost jazzy. The aforementioned “The Other Side of the Reservoir” has soulful fills galore. And “Total Eclipse of the Moon” has enough rhythm and lead to keep three or four players busy.

    Graham may not be the angry young man he once was, but his reflective nature still makes him one of the most perceptive rock songwriters around.

    This article originally appeared in VG’s Jul. ’07 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

  • The Sadies – New Season

    If you’re at all into guitar tones and cool songs, it’s hard not to love The Sadies, with brothers Dallas and Travis Good, whose feet are firmly in the country and country-rock of the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers.

    On past recordings they’ve employed an almost cinematic/ Spaghetti Western sound. Here, though, it’s been ditched. Fans need not fear, however, as the tunes are some of the best of their careers. The mix is a sort of psychedelic country that hasn’t been heard in awhile. As always, guitars get the music across – anything from the wonderful acoustic flatpicking on “Introduction” to the incredible interaction between the two on “The First Inquisition (Part 4)” to the haunting, twangy lead and reverb-drenched solos on “The Trial.” And while the sound sometimes has a chaotic feel, it’s also obvious this is planned cacophony. Vocals have much the same feel; they’re so intertwined musically, it’s a wonder to behold. Gary Louris (Jayhawks, Golden Smog) co-produced and perhaps helped the brothers focus. That said, their not being focused has resulted in an amazing mix of music on past albums.

    Few bands have produced music as consistently good as these guys have in their first five studio records. New Seasons should establish them as a guiding force in today’s alt-country field.


    This article originally appeared in VG‘s Nov ’07 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.


  • Sebastion & Grisman – Satisfied

    John Sebastian and David Grisman first ran into each other in the early ’60s, when Greenwich Village’s Washington Square Park was the epicenter of the national Folk Boom. They were both recruited by guitarist Stefan Grossman for a recording project to be dubbed The Even Dozen Jug Band – in hindsight, somewhat of a supergroup, featuring, among others, Steve Katz, Maria Muldaur, and Joshua Rifkin.

    Both, of course, went on to legendary status while crisscrossing the worlds of folk, pop, jazz, and rock – mandolinist Grisman with his groundbreaking David Grisman Quintet, singer, guitarist, autoharp and harmonica player Sebastian with the hugely successful Lovin’ Spoonful. Both also proved to be A-1 songwriters and composers.

    Still, the notion of the pair recording an all-acoustic duo album might surprise some. Grisman and his Acoustic Disc label has been home to numerous blazing instrumental virtuosi; Sebastian’s style, for the most part, is the epitome of laid-back. But it is that meeting – sometimes halfway, sometimes leaning more to one side of the fence than the other – that makes this long-overdue reunion so special.

    “I’m Satisfied,” by one of Sebastian’s chief influences, Mississippi John Hurt, is the perfect opener – relaxed but bouncy, showcasing Grisman’s sensitivity and economy and Sebastian’s rock-steady rhythm. At the other end of the spectrum, though, Grisman’s instrumental “EMD,” from the Quintet’s self-titled debut album, is reinvented – transformed from hard-charging neo-bluegrass to an airier melodic presentation, with John’s fingerpicked rhythm replacing Tony Rice’s fiery strumming.

    As Sebastian admits in the liner notes, “I’ve never had much visibility as an instrumental virtuoso,” but he does what he does about as well as anyone out there doing it! And that’s just his guitar playing; he also pulls out his harmonica and baritone guitar, while Grisman doubles on mandola and banjo mandolin. Add to that the songs – the Spoonful’s “Coconut Grove” sits nicely alongside the Everly Brothers hit “Walk Right Back,” the standard “Deep Purple,” and the Grisman-Sebastian jam “Harmandola Blues” – and this is the kind of album that transports you to another place.

    Your mileage may vary, but you’ll enjoy the ride.


    This article originally appeared in VG‘s Jan ’08 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

  • Eric Bibb – Diamond Days

    Bibb is a fine guitarist and singer, and here proves a very capable songwriter. It’s hard to pin him down – you could call him a folk singer, but his blues and pop roots always show through in his performances and writing. His 12-string fingerpicking sets the tone for songs like “Tall Cotton,” with a fine electric-guitar solo courtesy of Kahanga Dekula. Eric plugs in to add color to “Destiny Blues,” a Chicago-style blues with fine acoustic and harmonica by Bibb. It’s also a showcase for his fine vocal chops.

    Bibb’s acoustic playing shines all over the record, and guests like Martin Simpson add flavor to several songs. One thing I really like about this record is the way it all holds together without sounding the same. “So Glad” has almost-jazzy changes while other songs, like “In My Father’s House,” are funky acoustic rockers. On pretty much every cut, Bibb’s vocals are soulful and on-the-money.

    Records that give off a folk aura can be scary, but this one sails on great performances and fine songwriting.


    This article originally appeared in VG‘s Feb ’07 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

  • The Ramones – It’s Alive

    Blue jeans torn out at the knees, Converse All-Star high toppers, leather jackets, and low-slung Mosrite guitars – punk never looked or sounded so good as with the Ramones.

    Now comes It’s Alive…, a two-DVD set paying ear-splitting homage to America’s first family of punk. And this could just well be the ultimate Ramones greatest hits set of all time. Here, is live footage of the boys playing 100 of their best songs.

    The first DVD kicks off with the original lineup at CBGB in 1974, blasting through “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue” at full, rip-roaring volume. It doesn’t let up until four hours later with a final version of “Blitzkrieg Bop” on stage at the River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1996.

    Along the way, there’s footage of shows from England, Germany, Sweden, Finland, and Italy to the best dives Gotham had to offer, including several shows at CBGB and Max’s Kansas City. All of the Ramones’ classics are here: “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker,” “Beat On The Brat,” “Rockaway Beach,” “Cretin Hop,” “Rock’n’Roll High School,” “Pinhead,” and even their high-speed cover of “Surfin’ Bird.”

    You’ll feel as though you’re knee-deep in beer again and your ears won’t stop ringing for a week. Just like in the good old days when punk was born.


    This article originally appeared in VG‘s Jan ’08 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.


  • Gore Gore Girls – Get The Gore

    Formed in Detroit in 1997, the all-female Gore Gore Girls have undergone personnel changes with each of their CDs, with singer/guitarist Amy Gore the only constant. On this, the group’s fourth release, she is joined by drummer Nicky Styxx, bassist Carol Anne Schumacher, and lead guitarist Marlene “Hammer” Hammerle.

    The distortion and decibel level suggest punk, but the quartet’s sensibilities are closer to ’60s girl groups like the Ronettes and garage-rockers like the Kingsmen. Schumacher, who also plays with the Detroit Cobras, recently upped her resume in this arena when, as a member of the Reigning Sound, she backed Shangri-Las lead singer Mary Weiss, on her stirring Norton comeback, Dangerous Game.

    The set is filled with simple, hooky originals like “Sweet Potato” (sort of a “Hully Gully” soundalike), a co-write with mover/shaker Kim Fowley called “Pleasure Unit,” a cover of the Crystals’ “All Grown Up” (penned by Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich, and Jeff Barry), and a moody Poppy Family obscurity, “Where Evil Grows.”

    The visceral lead on “Don’t Cry” shows how Hammer got her name, and her Yardbirds-esque instrumental, “Hammer Stomp,” makes the Donnas sound like Steely Dan.

    Not surprisingly, this fuzz fest was produced by ex-Beatosonic Jim Diamond, at his Ghetto Recorders in Motor City.

    In their mini skirts, ratted hair, go-go boots, and Gretsch guitars (including the bass), the Girls are a guitar nerd’s (and, therefore, a certain company’s marketing department’s) fantasy.


    This article originally appeared in VG‘s Sep ’07 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

  • Emmylou Harris – Songbird

    Emmylou Harris’ latest box set, Songbird, occupies a unique place among deluxe anthologies. Instead of being merely another greatest hits or an unreleased versions set, it’s a collection of personally important musical moments. Songbird grants Ms. Harris a chance to be her own critic by showing her audience which performances and collaborations were the most important in her artistic development.

    In every way, Songbird qualifies as a deluxe set from its slip-cased cover with its delicate tipped-in photograph to the 200-page hard-covered book inside. My only criticism of the packaging is that it is difficult to get the CDs out of their cardboard slipcases. Once removed, the four CDs and one DVD deliver 78 songs and 10 music videos. The earliest song is a 1970 alternate version of “Clocks” from her first release, Gliding Bird. The most recent tune comes from 2006, a duet with Mark Knopfler called “Love and Happiness” by Texas songwriter Kimmie Rhodes. In between the two are songs from every period of Harris’ storied career. Disc one starts with her collaborations with Gram Parsons, as well as her first great band, which featured James Burton’s lead guitar and Rodney Crowell’s rhythm guitar and harmony vocals. Harris’ early pop-country period, which included several of her best-selling albums, such as Luxury Liner, Pieces of the Sky, Elite Hotel, and Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Sky is under-represented on this set, with only eight selections spanning from 1975 to ’78.

    This set isn’t intended as a chronological or complete anthology, but instead is a collection of special musical moments. On Songbird you’ll find fabulous examples of Harris’ best musical collaborations, including her work with Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Guy Clark, Steve Earle, and George Jones. Sound quality on these three CDs varies drastically. Sure, you can expect the earliest stuff such as “Clocks” to sound a little funky, but Harris’ voice is so pure that any recording glitches or distortion stick out in bas relief regardless of where or when the recordings were made. On “First in Line,” recorded in 1990, you can hear the distracting, grainy fur of harmonic distortion marring the sterling performances by Harris and John Starling (which is probably why it wasn’t released on Starling’s album.)

    The DVD includes live performances as well as music videos, such as a live version of “Together Again” from 1975, a campy promo video of “Mr Sandman” from ’81, and a luminous live reading of “Love Hurts” with Elvis Costello from a 2006 “Live at the Grand Ol Opry” broadcast. Video quality isn’t too awful on the early performances, but don’t expect to be able to read the headstock decal on Burton’s Tele.

    Of course, any Emmylou Harris fan must have this box, but it delivers such a fine overview of her career that even relatively new fans will appreciate its many virtues.


    This article originally appeared in VG‘s Feb ’08 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.


  • Duke Levine – Beneath the Blue

    As a player, Duke Levine is unclassifiable. He calls his style “country-soul” guitar, and that’s fair. But what do you call a guy who opens his latest record with a twangy version of the theme from the ’50s sci-fi cult film The Blob followed by a scary version of the Ellington chestnut “Caravan,” an unlikely Beatles’ cover, and numerous originals with great melodies and even better playing?

    Regardless of label, it works incredibly well. Duke’s slide playing and nods to George Harrison’s fascination with other musical cultures makes “Flying” a guitarist’s dream. The Blob theme is a perfect illustration of what Levine does so well – bending and manipulating notes until the track becomes an almost encyclopedic guitar experience. His runs at the end are truly amazing; you expect it to end but it keeps going through the fadeaway. “Caravan” has a quirky feel, like a Tom Waits record. It’s twangy, it’s sinewy and elastic, and Ellington probably never dreamed his song could sound like this.

    Levine’s originals show his love and appreciation, not for chops, but for songs. “The Stars Look Down” is a beautiful statement of his chordal abilities. “It Was a Dark and Stormy Night” is a bluesy, atmospheric ballad with more fine harmonic-mixed-with-single-line workout. “Thin Air” shows off textbook volume swells in a beautiful song that ends too quickly. While Levine continues to back other folks both on record and on tour, it’s a pleasure to hear his own work again.


    This article originally appeared in VG‘s May ’08 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.


  • Sweet Swingin’ Royalty

    Sweet Swingin' Royalty

    Louis Rosano, proprietor of Louis Electric Amplifier Company, has been building and repairing guitar amps for 15 years. After spending a great deal of time digging around in the inventions of Leo Fender and Jim Marshall, in 1993 he began building his amps completely by hand, using the best components, including his own hand-wound transformers and custom-designed speakers. The circuitry in Rosano’s amps is hand-wired, and his cabinets are built using a variety of solid pines.

    We were recently introduced to Louis Amps’ Swing King, the amp currently used by none other than Duke Robillard, and thought we’d give it the once-over.

    The 35-watt Swing King uses two Groove Tubes GE6L6s output tubes, a 5AR4 rectifier, and a three-12AX7 preamp section. Its speakers are a Fane AXA Alnico 10 and an Electro-Harmonix 10 CS. The top-mounted controls include volume, master volume, treble, middle, bass, and presence. The polished-aluminum chassis panel also hosts the power and standby switches, indicator lamp, the black chickenhead knobs, and silkscreened typeface reminiscent of an old Bassman, and four inputs.

    The Swing King has two channels wired internally, each with two inputs – one normal, the other for higher gain. The channels can be run simultaneously using a 1/4″ dummy jack or the included footswitch, as long as the guitar is plugged directly into the “Gain” channel input. You simply use the dummy jack to run the other high-gain input into one of the “Normal” channel inputs.

    The front and back panels are of high-grade 7-ply Baltic birch, while the top, bottom, and sides are of 100-year-old solid antique pine. The ported cabinet is finished in a dark satin stain. It’s a rugged unit with a look resembling an old radio.

    To test the Swing King, we used a ’72 Fender Stratocaster with stock pickups, and a late-’70s Ibanez Artist with Wolftone humbuckers. We started with the Strat and set the amp to clean, running the volume halfway up and the master at full. We plugged into the high-sensitivity input of the normal channel and were greeted with incredibly sweet tone and tremendous responsiveness. Notes leap out, and tonal balance is incredible. Every frequency is covered, with no favorites. The tone is fat and rich in all pickup positions, but especially in the middle, neck, and all combinations thereof.

    As we pushed up the volume, we did get more gain, but the amp retained its character and responsiveness. When we picked softly, the amp’s sweet clean tone never wavered. And once we dug in, we could get just the right gain for blues. We pushed the volume to almost full and got great breakup, though we had to back off the bass to tighten up the low-end.

    The controls on the Swing King are responsive to subtle changes, and we discovered a nearly endless string of sweet spots as we fiddled with the tone controls. We plugged into Input 2 of the normal channel and found it less sensitive, but still very sweet and very clean.

    We then plugged into gain input one, set the volume to half, and the master volume at full. This was markedly more aggressive, punchy, and with more gain, but again it retained all of its tonal quality. Pushing the volume to 8, we got remarkable Stratocaster blues tone, still extremely balanced across the frequency range. This amp nails the Stevie Ray’s “Live at The El Mocambo” sound. The Swing King’s Strat tone is simply great. When we backed off the guitar’s volume, the amp cleaned up, but retained it’s dreamy Strat tone. We then pushed the volume to nearly full and got tons of gain. Again, we had to back off the bass to smooth it out just a bit. Using the jumper through the normal channel’s Input 1 produced the most gain.

    Next up was the humbucker-equipped Ibanez, which we first plugged into the normal Input 1. It was extremely sweet, warm, and balanced, with a punchy gain as we used a more aggressive pick attack. Input 2 of the normal channel generated a sweet jazz tone.

    Next, we plugged into the gain channel 1 jack. After backing off the bass and pushing the mid control we got a great rock tone with plenty of gain. We jumped the open jack into the normal input 1 jack and got even more gain. This amp has enough gain for metal, but may not have the mid-scoop that typically attracts metal heads.

    The Louis Electric Swing King 210 is a very versatile amp with amazing sweetness, frequency balance, and responsiveness. It’s possibly the best Strat amp we’ve reviewed.

    Louis Electric Swing King 210
    Features All-tube/point-to-point circuitry, custom-designed/hand-built transformer, 35 watts output, Fane Alnico and Electro-Harmonix speakers, master volume, ported antique pine cabinet.
    Price $2,645
    Contact Louis Electric Amplifier Company, 260 Merritt Ave., Bergenfield NJ; phone (201) 384-6166; louisamps.com.

    This article originally appeared in VG‘s Apr. ’05 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.